The Message of 1887
The testimonies of the Spirit of prophecy which were received during the year 1887 gave warning of danger. They named again and again a specific evil, a deception into which the church was falling. That deception was pointed out as the fatal mistake of drifting into formalism; the substitution of forms, ceremonies, doctrines, machinery, and activities for that heart experience which comes alone through fellowship with Christ Jesus our Lord. Throughout the entire year this specific danger was kept before ministers and people by messages which appeared in the Review and Herald. In order that the seriousness of the situation at that time may be realized and the warnings better understood, we quote a few paragraphs, giving the date of publication:COR 28.2
1. “It is possible to be a formal, partial believer, and yet be found wanting, and lose eternal life. It is possible to practice some of the Bible injunctions, and be regarded as a Christian, and yet perish because you are lacking in essential qualifications that constitute Christian character.”-The Review and Herald, January 11, 1887.COR 28.3
2. Two weeks later another message declares:COR 29.1
“The observance of external forms will never meet the great want of the human soul. A mere profession of Christ is not enough to prepare one to stand the test of the judgment.”-The Review and Herald, January 25, 1887.COR 29.2
3. Three weeks following this it was clearly stated:COR 29.3
“There is too much formality in the church. Souls are perishing for light and knowledge. We should be so connected with the Source of light that we can be channels of light to the world.... Those who profess to be guided by the word of God, may be familiar with the evidences of their faith, and yet be like the pretentious fig tree, which flaunted its foliage in the face of the world, but when searched by the Master, was found destitute of fruit.”-The Review and Herald, February 15, 1887.COR 29.4
4. Two weeks thereafter came another of like import:COR 29.5
“The Lord Jesus, on the Mount of Olives, plainly stated that ‘because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.’ He speaks of a class who have fallen from a high state of spirituality. Let such utterances as these come home with solemn, searching power to our hearts.... A formal round of religious services is kept up; but where is the love of Jesus? Spirituality is dying.... Shall we meet the mind of the Spirit of God? Shall we dwell more upon practical godliness, and far less upon mechanical arrangements?”-Written March 1, 1887; appears in Testimonies, Vol. V, pp. 538, 539.COR 29.6
On and on throughout the entire year messages continued to come telling us that formality was coming into the church; that we were trusting too much in forms, ceremonies, theories, mechanical arrangements, and a constant round of activities. Of course these messages were true, and they should have made a profound impression. But formalism is most deceptive and ruinous. It is the hidden, unsuspected rock upon which, through the centuries, the church has so often been well-nigh wrecked. Paul warns us that the “form of godliness” without the power of God will be one of the perils of the last days, and admonishes us to turn away from the deceptive, bewitching thing. Over and over again, and through various channels, God sends warnings to His church to escape the peril of formalism.COR 30.1
It was precisely this perilous deception against which the Spirit of prophecy gave repeated warning in 1887; and it was to save us from its full results that the message of Righteousness by Faith was sent to us.COR 30.2
This movement is of God. It is destined to triumph gloriously. Its organization is Heaven indited. Its departments are the wheels within the wheels, all skillfully linked together; but they are incomplete and partial without the Spirit within the wheels giving power and speedy results. These wheels are composed of men and women. God baptizes men and women rather than movements; and when men receive the power of the Spirit into their lives, then the beautiful machinery moves speedily forward on its appointed task. This must be realized individually before it can be realized collectively. How imperative, then, our need of God’s provision!COR 30.3
But not alone came the warnings against the substitution of theories, forms, activities, and the machinery of organization. With these warnings came a direct, powerful, positive message telling exactly what should be done to save us from the situation into which we were drifting. The entire message cannot be reproduced here because of its length. However, a few excerpts will convey some idea of its serious import, and of the hope it held out to the church if the instruction were heeded:COR 31.1